Beverage carton with straw



1967 P. J. JURENA BEVERAGE CARTON WITH STRAW Filed April 12. 1965 INUEN Peoxop J. daze/v5 B M W United States Patent 3,303,984 BEVERAGE CARTON WITH STRAW Prokop J. Jurena, 1128 S. 12th St., Milwaukee, Wis. 53204 Filed Apr. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 447,207 Claims. (Cl. 229-7) This invention relates to improvements in beverage cartons with a drinking straw therein, and particularly to a carton in which the drinking straw is formed and mounted to be accessible from outside of the carton; with a minimum of change in the carton and without touching the straw by the hands of the user.

Various beverage carton constructions have been heretofore proposed for including therein a tube known as a straw for drinking from the carton by way of the straw. Patent 2,799,439 Pugh issued July 16, 1957, shows a carton of coated paper in a generally rectangular box-like form with portions of two of the walls brought together in the manner of a galble roof and of the other two walls pressed inward as gables and with the ends of all of the walls joined and sealed. Such cartons are erected from a blank, the edges are joined and the cartons are filled and are sealed by automatic machinery. In automatic machine operation, any addition to or change in the carton to receive and retain a straw, should involve the least possible number of parts and should be otherwise as simple as possible. The addition of a straw and change in the described carton for access to the straw without otherwise opening the carton, should be by the mere addition of another sub-operation in the carton shaping, etc. machine and should not affect operations preceding or succeeding such sub-operation.

In cartons such as illustrated in the patent above-identified, it has been found satisfactory to score one of the roof-like top wall portions to define three sides of an elongated flap which is to be lifted to provide an elongated opening. The opening extends to slightly beyond the juncture of.the carton side and top walls so that the flap opening is sure to extend at least to the carton side wall inside surface The opening must be of the length to allow a straw end to swing radially outward through the opening, the straw length outside the top wall being sufficient for placing the lips of the user thereon in drinking position. A paper straw is attached along the inside surface of one side wall and extends vertically upwardly from the bottom of the carton to adjacent the hinge end of the flap, and has an unattached length for extending through the opening. The straw has smooth relatively rigid end lengths and an intermediate length made flexible by corrugating the same peripherally by grooves of a particular shape and size. The grooves are semi-circular arcs in cross section, for both the indented portions forming the grooves and the land portions between the grooves, and the radius of the arcs is preferably approximately onethird the diameter of the straw.

The width of the grooves is proportionately much greater and the depth thereof is proportionately much less than usual in straws of the character shown and such ratios of dimensions together with the semi-circular arcuate form produces high resilience in the straw whereby the straw can assume a vertical position whenever its unattached end and intermediate portions are released from a bent position inside the carton. The intermediate grooved flexible length of the straw is not attached to the carton wall and extends from below the flap opening toward the upper unattached end of the straw which is of sufficient length to extend between the lips of a person drinking from the carton. The corrugated length of the straw is sufficient to leave unflexed a number of grooves and lands at each end of the corrugated length, upon 3,303,984 Patented Feb. 14, 1967 flexing thereof, and the corrugations described, provide resilience such that the upper end length of the straw rises completely through the flap opening after the flap is lifted so that the straw need not be touched by the hands.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective external view of one form of beverage carton according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross section of the carton showing the part in position when the carton is filled and ready to be handled.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the flap opened and the upper end length of the straw extending from the carton for drinking through the straw.

FIG. 4 is a cross section on line 55 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged diagram illustrating the shape and relationships between the grooves and the lands forming the flexible intermediate straw portion.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross sectional view of another form of beverage carton including the present invention, when filled and closed, and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 but showing the carton opened for movement of the straw into position for drinking therethrough.

Referring to the drawing by numerals for, individual parts, 10 generaly designates a paper carton for beverages, which is made from a one piece blank to provide a bottom 11 and side walls 12 and 13 at right angles to the bottom so that the form of the carton is generally that of a rectangular box. The upper ends of the side walls are bent inward toward one another so that two of the walls form inwardly sloping gables 14 and two of the walls provide roof-like areas 15-, the whole having the appearance of a hip-type roof and the ends of the roof portions having a liquid tight joint forming an upstanding roof ridge 16.

. One ofv the roof areas 15 is scored to define a flap 20 of a length extending from near the roof ridge 16 to the juncture 21 of the side wall and roof portions, the flap being easily bent back as shown in FIG. 3 to provide an elongated opening. A paper drinking straw 22 is attached vertically to the-side wall 13 to extend from adjacent the carton bottom 11 and through the opening formed by the flap 20, as by adhesive indicated at 23 in FIG. 4. The straw has a lower end length 24, an intermediate flexible length 25 and an upper end length 26, the intermediate and upper end lengths being free from (unattached to) the carton as shown in FIG. 3. The intermediate length is grooved peripherally by indentations which are shaped as approximately semi-circular arcs and which have similar arcuate lands between them. The arcs are on the same radius so that the corrugated intermediate length has a bellows-like wall in which there are no sharp folds in the material of the straw. It will be seen that the intermediate length 25 extends axially along the straw far enough to have the two or three grooves and lands at each end of the flexible length, which are not flexed so that the flexible length acts in substantially the same way regardless of the angle to which it is bent.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the shape and relations-hip of grooves 30 and lands 31 between the grooves, which together form the flexible intermediate length 25 of the straw and retain high resilience in the flexible length. The lands and grooves are substantially semicircular arcs On the radius of approximately one-third the diameter of the straw and are taken respectively from centers on a line 32 joining the outer surfaces of the straw end portions 26 and 24 and a line 33 tangent to the inner surfaces of the group of arcs and axially through the straw. Thus the paper is deformed only enough to allow the corrugated intermediate length of the straw to be flexed but retains a high degree of resilience so that the straw tends to come to a straight line position whenever it is released from any bending.

FIGS. 6 and 7 relate to a form of beverage carton having a separate bottom section 38 and top section 39, the carton being substantially rectangular with side walls such as 40 rising vertically from the bottom wall (not shown). The top section 39 has a flanged edge 43 formed in U-shape for receiving the ends of the side walls. The flanges 43 and side walls 40 are connected in leakproof manner and so that a corner of the top section may be lifted to provide a pouring spout. scoring in the top section wall 44 for lifting to provide an elongated opening extending from close to the inside surface of one of the top flanges 43 to adjacent the opposite flange 43. A tab 46 is attached near the end of the flap which can be lifted free from the top section, to serve as a handle for the flap.

A straw 22 (as described above) is attached by its rigid end portion 24 to the side wall 40 adjacent the hinge end of the flap 45. The flexible intermediate portion 25 of the straw is free from the side wall and top section and extends downward from the top section even farther than was previously shown, to provide ample length for making a right angle bend as shown. The upper end portion 26 of the straw again bears against the underside of flap 45 and is free therefrom so that the intermediate portion 25 can straighten and lift the endportion 26 of the straw through the opening when the flap is raised.

In use, the corrugated length of the straw is under combined compression and tension which tends to straighten any bend in the corrugated portion thereof and such tendency is sufliciently high in the present construction so that the straw end length 26 will rise out of the carton above the surface 15 thereof sufficiently for a user to drink without touching the straw. Hence workers who are not in position to clean their hands, can use the present carton with greater satisfaction than is possible with previous structures.

I'claim:

1. A paper beverage carton provided with a tubular paper straw therein and accessible through a carton wall opening for drinking by a person through the straw, the carton having a generally vertical side wall and a top wall extending at an angle thereto, the top wall being scored to define one end and two side edges of an elongated flap Flap 45 is formed by attached to the carton at another end as a hinge and to be lifted for providing an opening in the top wall, the straw having smooth relative rigid end lengths and a circumferentially corrugated flexible intermediate length, the top wall opening being of a length for radially swinging therethrough of one end length of the straw for retention between the lips of a person while drinking therethrough, the other rigid end length of the straw being attached to the inside surface of the carton side wall and extending adjacent to the hinged end of the flap and the remainder of the straw being unattached and having its intermediate length bent from below the hinge end of the flap to extend along the inside surface thereof with the said one rigid straw length extending substantially to the,

said one end of the opening upon lifting of the flap.

2. The beverage carton of claim 1 in which the corrugated length of the straw is formed by grooves with lands between the grooves, the grooves and lands being peripheral of the straw and shaped axially thereof as substantially semi-cylindrical arcs on the same radius.

3. The beverage carton of claim 1 in which the corrugated length of the straw is formed by substantially semicircular arcs of the same radius, the radius being approximately one-third the diameter of the straw.

4. The beverage carton of claim 1 in which the corrugated intermediate length of the straw is great enough to leave unflexed a number of grooves and lands at each end of the interemediate length upon bending of the straw with one end length attached to the carton.

5. The beverage carton of claim 1 in which a rigid straw length is attached to the carton side wall and the remainder of the straw is unattached and the corrugated intermediate length extends from below the hinge end'of the flap andaxially along the same, and the straw terminates adjacent the free end of the flap.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1966 Pugh 229-7 7/1966 Kalajian 229--7 

1. A PAPER BEVERAGE CARTON PROVIDED WITH A TUBUALR PAPER STRAW THEREIN AND ACCESSIBLE THROUGH A CARTON WALL OPENING FOR DRINKING BY A PERSON THROUGH THE STRAW, THE CARTON HAVING A GENERALLY VERTICAL SIDE WALL AND A TOP WALL EXTENDING AT AN ANGLE THERETO, THE TOP WALL BEING SCORED TO DEFINE ONE END AND TWO SIDE EDGES OF AN ELONGATED FLAP ATTACHED TO THE CARTON AT ANOTHER END AS A HINGE AND TO BE LIFTED FOR PROVIDING AN OPENING IN THE TOP WALL, THE STRAW HAVING SMOOTH RELATIVE RIGID END LENGTHS AND A CIRCUMFERENTIALLY CORRUGATED FLEXIBLE INTERMEDIATE LENGTH, THE TOP WALL OPENING BEING OF A LENGTH FOR RADIALLY SWINGING THERETHROUGH OF ONE END LENGTH OF THE STRAW FOR RETENTION BETWEEN THE LIPS OF A PERSON WHILE DRINKING THERETHROUGH, THE OTHER RIGID END LENGTH OF THE STRAW BEING ATTACHED TO THE INSIDE SURFACE OF THE CARTON SIDE WALL AND EXTENDING ADJACENT TO THE HINGED END OF THE FLAP AND THE REMAINDER OF THE STRAW BEING UNATTACHED AND HAVING ITS INTERMEDIATE LENGTH BENT FROM BELOW THE HINGE END OF THE FLAP TO EXTEND ALONG THE INSIDE SURFACE THEREOF WITH THE SAID ONE RIGID STRAW LENGTH EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE SAID ONE END OF THE OPENING UPON LIFTING OF THE FLAP. 